Car-coupling



(No Model.)

H. D. BLAGRAVE & H. J. MARSH.

GAR COUPLING. v No. 440,535. Patented Nov. 11, 1890.

I. w m

'UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE.

HENRY D. BLAGRAVE AND HARLON J. MARSH, OF MONUMENT, COLORADO.

' CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 440,535, dated November11, 1890.

Application filed September 11, 1890. Serial No. 364,644. (No model.)

To on whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, HENRY D. BLAGRAVE and HARLON J. MARSH, citizens ofthe United States of America, residing at Monument, in the county of ElPaso and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Oar- Couplings; and we do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in car-couplings of the ordinarylink-and-pin pattern.

The object of the invention is to provide means for automaticallyoperating the pin to positively cause the coupling of the cars when thelink enters the draw-head; and it consists in the construction andcombination of the parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,Figure-1 is a perspective view of the draw-head and rear end of a carhaving my attachments applied thereto, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section.

A refers to the draw-head which is provided with the usual mouth a, inrear of which is a chamber A, adapted to receive a bell-crank lever B,pivoted at about its angle to near the upper edge of the draw-head, theend of the upper member of said lever being positioned when lowered inproximity to the pin-opening a to provide for the attachment thereto bymeans of a short link 0 of the pin 0. The rear wall of the upper portionof the pin-opening a, is inclined, as shown, to permit of the easywithdrawal of the pin. The lower member of the lever B travels in thelower portion of the chamber to be operated upon by the link when itenters the draw-head, the rearward movement of said lower member causinga forward movement of the upper member, which throws the pin in aposition to couple the cars.

The lever B, hereinbefore described, is op erated to put the parts inposition for coupling by means of a chain or flexible connec tion D, oneend of which is attached to the upper member of said lever, while theoppo site end passes around a friction-roller E, j ournaled upon thecrank-shaft]? and extends downwardly and is attached to the cross-beamof the car. The shaft F is provided centrally with outwardly-extendingarms ff, between which the roller E is pivoted, and the ends of saidshaft extend beyond the sides of the car and are provided'withcrank-arrns for operating the same. In order to operate the lever fromthe top of the car, a chain or flexible connection is secured at itslower end to the journal of the friction-roller E and at its upper endto a sliding rod, which passes through guides near the top of the car,and by drawing upon said rod or operating the levers at the side of thecar the roller E is elevated, which causes an upward movement of theforward end of the bell-crank lever, which carries with it the pin andprojects the lower member in a position to be operated upon by the link.

Near the rear end of the link-opening and slightly in advance of thelower member of the lever B when the same is at the limit of its rearmovement, are secured stops or shoulders h, which limit the rearmovement of the link and prevent the same jamming said lever andinjuring its pivotal connection.

By employing the bell-crank lever and positioning the forward end of thesame near the pin-opening a positive connection is made at this point,and there is no danger of the pin becoming disengaged, as at the limitof the rearward movement of the member carrying the pin the lower end ofsaid pin will lie partially within its opening in position to beinserted either by the link abutting against the lower end of the leveror by said lever being operated at the top or side of the car.

Having thus described our invention, what .We claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a car-coupling, of a draw-head A, having alink-opening chambered at its rear portion to receive a bellcrank leverB, the mouth of said coupling being contracted so that the link cannotpass to the rear end of the chamber, pin-openings at the forward portionof the draw-head, the upper opening having a rearwardly-inclined one endto the lever and passing over a friction-roller E, journaled betweenarms which extend at right angles from the operatingshaft F, and fromthence downward and is attached to the cross-beam of the car,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatn res in presence of twowitnesses.

HENRY D. BLAGRAVE. HARLON J. MARSH.

Witnesses:

A. G. WOODWARD, L. WHALEN.

